Adjustable folding razor

ABSTRACT

A folding razor comprising a handle part and a shank member of plastic material in which is mounted a cutting blade, the razor having a guard member slidable over the shank member and blade, the two faces of the generally flat shank each having a series of longitudinal grooves and the guard member having a rib portion selectively slidable into any one of the grooves for positioning the guard on either side of the shank and in various laterally adjusted positions relative to the cutting edge to vary the edge exposure.

United States Patent Braginetz Mar. 7, 1972 [54] ADJUSTABLE FOLDING RAZOR [72] Inventor: Paul A. Braginetz, Augusta County, Va.

[73] Assignee: Philip Morris Incorporated, New York,

22 Filed: Apr. 20, 1910 21 Appl.N0.: 30,080

[52] U.S. CL ..30/32, 30/54 [51] Int. Cl ..B26b 21/02 [58] Field of Search ..30/3032, 47, 53-55,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,402,467 9/1968 Manahan..'. ..30/54X 3,165,831 1/l965 Carrol ..30/50 X Primary Examiner-Andrew R. .luhasz Assistant Examiner-Gary L. Smith Attorney-Watson, Leavenworth & Kelton 57 I ABSTRACT A folding razor comprising a handle part and a shank member of plastic material in which is mounted a cutting blade, the razor having a guard member slidable over the shank member and blade, the two faces of the generally flat shank each having a series of longitudinal grooves and the guard member having a rib portion selectively slidable into any one of the grooves for positioning the guard on either side of the shank and in various laterally adjusted positions relative to the cutting edge to vary the edge exposure.

9 ciaimgs Drawing Figures PATENTEDHAR 7 I972 SHEET 1 BF 2 FIG. 2

PATENTEIJHAR 7 m2 3.646.672

sum 2 ur 2 ADJUSTABLE FOLDING RAZOR GENERAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention is concerned with razor combinations particularly of the folding type in which a blade-carrying shank member is foldable into a handle part the shank member cartying an adjustable guard means. Razors of such general type have been the subject of many patents going back many years. In more recent years such type has been designed particularly for hair shaping.

The U.S. Pat. Nos. to Mihills 770,767 and Warner 878,841 are noted as of the general type concerned embodying means for selectively mounting the guard with relation to the blade cutting edge. In one form of construction of the Mihills patent the guard and a plate to which the blade is fixed have interfitting teeth whereby the guard may be adjusted laterally with relation to the blade cutting edge. The device, however, is not a folding razor type and can be adapted for rightor left-hand shaving only by a complicated arrangement of interfitting tubular parts whereby the blade carrier and a sleeve handle may be slid independently of each other along a main holder tube to position each at the desired end of the tube.

In Warner the guard is made in two parts comprising a guard and a holder for it and to change from one hand to the other requires both reversal of the holder with respect to the blade-holding shank and a reversal of the guard with respect to its holder.

THE PRESENT INVENTION The present invention comprises a combination blade holder and blade of the folding razor type which includes a shank member in which the blade is mounted and a one-piece guard member slidable thereover. The blade is mounted between two symmetrical halves of the shank member, and the generally flat outer side faces of the shank member each having a series of longitudinally extending alternate grooves and ribs the guard member having a single rib or flange adapted to be slidably engaged selectively in any one of the grooves on either side face whereby the razor is readily reversible for either right-hand or left-hand shaving and is laterally adjustable relative to the blade cutting edge to vary the blade edge exposure. A detent means serves to releasably hold the guard member in any selected position.

With the exception of the guard member and the blade per se the combination is of cast plastic and the assembly as a whole is marked by simplicity of parts and economy of manufacture.

Other features and advantages will be made apparent from a consideration of an exemplary embodiment as described hereinafter and depicted in the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view in perspective of the complete razor in open position;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the razor in closed condition;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the razor opened with the guard omitted and a portion of one-half of the shank broken away;

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on the plane lV-IV of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view in section taken on the plane VV in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a partial plan view showing certain features of the guard member;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but with the guard arranged on the opposite side of the shank member and adjusted for maximum blade exposure; and,

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 with the guard adjusted to an intermediate position.

Referring first to FIG. 1 the razor there depicted includes a simple one-piece handle part 10 preferably made of plastic and having opposed sidewalls defining a longitudinal slot 11 into which the shank member 12 may be folded, the two side parts of the handle being joined by a backwall l3 and an end wall 14 and back wall 13 being cut away at 15 to form a slot through which the finger piece 16 may pass in opening and closing the razor. The shank member is pivoted to the handle at 17.

The shank member as a whole comprises two complemental halves 20 and 21 of symmetrical shape in outline enclosing a razor blade 22 between the two halves which extends laterally from the lower edge area of the shank member as shown in FIG. 7, the opposed faces of the shank halves 20 and 21 hav' ing flat bottom recesses 23 and 24 respectively the combined depth of the two recesses. being equal substantially to the thickness of the blade 22.

The opposed recesses 23 and 24 conform generally to the shape of the blade which may vary in shape and thickness but preferably additional locating and locking means are provided comprising in the present case a plurality of lugs extending from the recess 24 through openings in the blade, and into corresponding wells in the bottom wall of the recess 23. This is generally indicated in FIG. 3 in which lugs 30 and 31 extend through and notches of the blade 22 and into complemental wells in the shank half 21. Preferably also a centrally located lug 32 extends through a correspondingly shaped opening in the blade and into a well in the shank half 21.

The complemental halves 20, 21 of the shank member are composed of suitable plastic material and may be secured together in various ways but conveniently this may be effected by ultrasonic welding thereby firmly locking the blade in fixed permanent position.

The shank member 12 is provided with a removable and adjustable guard member 40 slidable endwise over the member 12. The guard includes a comb portion 41. The comb portion may be positioned as particular use of the razor dictates at either side of the blade as indicated in the respective positions of FIG. 4 and FIG. 7.The guard is generally U-shaped at the back portion to fit over the back area of the blade shank member. The shank half 21 is provided on its longitudinally extending outer side face with alternate longitudinally extending ribs 42 and intervening slots 43. The opposite shank member 20 is provided on its longitudinally extending outer side face with similar ribs 420 and grooves 43a. The side plate 44 of the guard member has an inturned flange 45 adapted to be slidably engaged in any one of the grooves 43 or 430 including the position shown in FIG. 4 for example in which the flange 45 is engaged below the bottom rib 42. As previbusly pointed out the position of the guard member may be reversed from that shown in FIG. 4 to that shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 for either right-hand or left-hand shaving dependent upon the area of the face being shaved and the custom of the user, it being understood that in operation the comb portion 41 would be engaged against the face of the user.

In addition the blade cutting edge exposure may be adjusted depending upon the groove in which the flange member 45 is engaged. Positioning the flange member or rib 45 in different grooves 43 or 43a serves to position the guard at selectively different lateral positions with respect to the blade cutting edge in the direction parallel to the plane of the blade. In the present case the number of grooves and ribs is such as to provide three different degrees of cutting edge exposure, FIG. 4 illustrating the minimum exposure, FIG. 7 the maximum exposure, and FIG. 8 an intermediate position of the guard.

To hold the guard in the selected position but enable it to be released readily, the flange 45 is provided at each end with an extension or detent element 50 and 51 respectively (FIG. 5), the shank member having the ends of the grooves 43 and 43a slightly deepened at 50a and 51a at the opposite ends of the grooves whereby when the guard member is slid into its fully applied home position the detents 50, 51 snap into the depressions 50a, 51a respectively. It will be understood that the depressions 50a, 51a are at the ends of the grooves on both sides of the shank member so that the releasable detent is effective with the flange 45 at either side of the shank member.

As a further feature for assuring that the guard is firmly held, particularly in the position of maximum cutting edge exposure as shown in FIG. 7, the side plate of the guard member carrying the comb 41 is lanced at 54 for the major portion of its face between the points 55 and 56 (FIG. 6) thereby providing a shoulder 57 adapted to engage under the bottom rib 42 or 420, as the case may be, when the guard is adjusted for its maximum blade exposure as pictured in FIG. 7. When this shoulder 57 is up against the bottom rib it prevents dislodgement of the guard by rotating it off the blade shank member about an axis extending longitudinally of the shank member. When the guard member is adjusted to its other positions as shown in FIGS. 4 and 8 the sides of the guard member engage against sufficient external wall areas of the shank member to prevent any dislodgement of the guard through rotation of the character just described.

Since various changes may be made in the character of the razor shown and the detail elements thereof and accordingly different embodiments of the invention made without departing from the scope of the disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained herein be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. The article disclosed has been described in connection with shaving, but the term razor" is meant to include various instruments for cutting such as hair shapers as well as for shaving skin areas.

lclaim:

l. A cutting blade holder comprising an elongated shank member with longitudinally extending opposite outer side faces, a blade mounted in said member with a cutting edge extending laterally from an edge of said member between said faces, said member having a plurality of grooves extending longitudinally thereof in each of said faces, and a guard member adapted to be slidably engaged over said member longitudinally thereof said guard being generally U-shaped in cross section and having a rib selectively engageable in any one of said grooves on either side of said member, said guard member having a toothed comb portion located adjacent the blade cutting edge, the said plurality of grooves and said rib being arranged to allow the guard to be mounted on either side of the blade cutting edge and at selectively different lateral positions with respect to the blade cutting edge in the direction parallel to the plane of the blade.

2. A cutting blade holder in accordance with claim 1 in which said shank member is composed of plastic and the blade is secured therein.

3. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 2 in which said shank member comprises two halves similarly shaped in general outline with opposed faces and the blade is secured between said opposed faces.

4. A blade holder in accordance with claim 3 in which said two halves are secured together by sonic welding with the blade held between the said opposed faces.

5. A blade holder in accordance with claim 1 which includes detent means for releasably holding the guard member in each of the selectively engaged positions.

6. A blade holder in accordance with claim 5 in which said detent means comprises at least one tooth projecting from said rib and complemental depressions in said shank member appropriately located to receive'said tooth in each of the selectively engaged positions of the guard member.

7. A cutting blade holder comprising an elongated shank member with longitudinally extending opposite outer side faces and an edge area, a blade mounted in said member with a cutting edge extending laterally from said edge area, said member having a plurality of alternate grooves and ribs extending longitudinally thereof on at least one of said faces, and a guard member adapted to be slidably engaged over said member longitudinally thereof said guard member being generally U-shaped in cross section with a' plate section at each side face of said shank member, one section having a comb located adjacent the blade edge, and the other section having a longitudinally extending rib selectively engageable in any one of said grooves thereby to mount the said guard area at selectively different lateral positions with respect to the blade cutting edge in the direction parallel to the plane of the blade for corresponding different blade edge exposure, said ope lplate section of the guard having an indented longitudma y extending shoulder engageable against the rib on the shank member nearest the blade cutting edge when the guard member is at the farthest position rearwardly in said direction parallel to the plane of the blade with respect to the blade cutting edge.

8. A cutting blade holder in accordance with claim 7 in which each of said shank member faces is provided with a plurality of alternate grooves and ribs and the guard member is reversible to position the guard area at either side of the blade.

9. A cutting blade holder in accordance with claim 7 embodying a detent means for releasably holding the guard member in each of its selected positions comprising a projecting tooth on said guard member rib and appropriately located complemental depressions in said shank member.

k l t 

1. A cutting blade holder comprising an elongated shank member with longitudinally extending opposite outer side faces, a blade mounted in said member with a cutting edge extending laterally from an edge of said member between said faces, said member having a plurality of grooves extending longitudinally thereof in each of said faces, and a guard member adapted to be slidably engaged over said member longitudinally thereof said guard being generally U-shaped in cross section and having a rib selectively engageable in any one of said grooves on either side of said member, said guard member having a toothed comb portion located adjacent the blade cutting edge, the said plurality of grooves and said rib being arranged to allow the guard to be mounted on either side of the blade cutting edge and at selectively different lateral positions with respect to the blade cutting edge in the direction parallel to the plane of the blade.
 2. A cutting blade holder in accordance with claim 1 in which said shank member is composed of plastic and the blade is secured therein.
 3. A cutting blade in accordance with claim 2 in which said shank member comprises two halves similarly shaped in general outline with opposed faces and the blade is secured between said opposed faces.
 4. A blade holder in accordance with claim 3 in which said two halves are secured together by sonic welding with the blade held between the said opposed faces.
 5. A blade holder in accordance with claim 1 which includes detent means for releasably holding the guard member in each of the seleCtively engaged positions.
 6. A blade holder in accordance with claim 5 in which said detent means comprises at least one tooth projecting from said rib and complemental depressions in said shank member appropriately located to receive said tooth in each of the selectively engaged positions of the guard member.
 7. A cutting blade holder comprising an elongated shank member with longitudinally extending opposite outer side faces and an edge area, a blade mounted in said member with a cutting edge extending laterally from said edge area, said member having a plurality of alternate grooves and ribs extending longitudinally thereof on at least one of said faces, and a guard member adapted to be slidably engaged over said member longitudinally thereof said guard member being generally U-shaped in cross section with a plate section at each side face of said shank member, one section having a comb located adjacent the blade edge, and the other section having a longitudinally extending rib selectively engageable in any one of said grooves thereby to mount the said guard area at selectively different lateral positions with respect to the blade cutting edge in the direction parallel to the plane of the blade for corresponding different blade edge exposure, said one plate section of the guard having an indented longitudinally extending shoulder engageable against the rib on the shank member nearest the blade cutting edge when the guard member is at the farthest position rearwardly in said direction parallel to the plane of the blade with respect to the blade cutting edge.
 8. A cutting blade holder in accordance with claim 7 in which each of said shank member faces is provided with a plurality of alternate grooves and ribs and the guard member is reversible to position the guard area at either side of the blade.
 9. A cutting blade holder in accordance with claim 7 embodying a detent means for releasably holding the guard member in each of its selected positions comprising a projecting tooth on said guard member rib and appropriately located complemental depressions in said shank member. 